“Like I said, I love an underdog.” He took a sip of his water. “So, why did you come here? Seems like a long way to come for college that isn’t rated very high.”
“I guess you could say I wanted to get out on my own for the first time ever.” I squirmed in my seat and sat up straight. “What plans do you have for Proprius once it’s complete?”He smiled. “To share it with the world of course.”
“For a tidy profit.”
“To be honest, money doesn’t matter that much to me, but it’s the new religion of the world, so I play the game.” He held up two fingers. “That was two … so I get two of you.”
I tilted my head and shrugged. “Technically, you offered that last bit of information.”
The waiter set our food in front of us. I slid a chunk of chicken off of the wooden skewer and dipped it into the yogurt sauce. The meat almost melted on tongue and filled my mouth waith a subtle spice mixed with a dill creaminess. Mercer’s eyes darkened in the dim light and chuckled as he placed his napkin in his lap.
“All right, I’ll give you that. But it’s your last freebie.” He tapped his chin. “So who did you run away from?”
I coughed on a piece of my chicken and covered my mouth with my napkin. “I’m sorry?”
“Was it your mother or your father you had to get away from?”
“Neither,” I said softly. “I never met my father. And my mother …”
I stared past him and out the giant bay window, not really seeing the outside. Mercer put his hand on top of mine, and I jumped. A tingle spread up my arm. I drew in a long, shuddering breath and pushed down the lump in my throat.
“It’s your question,” he said.
“What is your relationship to Serenity?” I asked.
“We’re blood,” he said. “As much as she wants to deny it, it binds us tightly. I hear you dated James Thorne. What happened there?”
I smirked. “He was a boy.”
His gaze locked with mine. “I hope you’re ready to move onto men now.”
“Why are you so interested?” I asked in a husky voice.
“You can’t tell? There’s something about you that’s fascinating.”
I gave a nervous laugh. “I’m like most college girls. I’m sure you have had other women who are much more interesting than me.”
“Of course there have been plenty of women, all beautiful.” He studied me with a dark, hot gaze. “Not quite like you though. I can’t put my finger on it. You feel almost …”
I raised an eyebrow waiting for him to continue.
“Pardon me for asking, but you said you never met your father. Did he die before you were born?”
“No,” I downed the rest of my wine. “He was a one night stand for my mother.”
A child wailed from the table next to us. His mother leaned down and tickled his stomach, making shusshing sounds that were drowned out by the screaming. Across the table, a little girl colored furiously on a paper placemat. I smiled and returned my gaze to Mercer who was rubbing the ear closet to the racket.
“What about your family? You freely talk about almost every minute of your private life, but not about your roots. There’s got to be more besides you and Serenity. She hinted you’d missed more than a few holiday dinners.”
“My family is an old one that hails from around Europe.” He smirked. “And I’ve never been a fan of turkey. So, you never tried to look for your father?”
I shrugged and pushed the last few bites of my potato around my plate. “I never saw the need to. I think Serenity believes your family is dysfunctional. Is it?”
He leaned back in his chair and tossed his napkin on his empty plate. “We tend to go our separate ways. It’s better for all our sanity.” He chuckled. “You’re probably better off without knowing your dad. Mine’s King Jackass.”
“King Jackass.” I covered my mouth as my laugh turned into a cough..
“So, what happened to your mother that you ran all the way here?”
“I think that’s it for this interview.” I set my glass down. “Thank you for your time.”
His smirk disappeared. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressed that. Let’s start again.”
I shook my head and gave him a smile. “It’s all right.”
“Do you want to get dessert?”
“I’m stuffed actually.”
He waved for the check. We drove back to my apartment with nothing but a five string quartet and tension between us. I stepped out of the car and headed for the steps. He caught my wrist before I could take more than a few steps.
“I’d hoped that would go better,” he said.
I gave him a reassuring smile. “It was nice.”
He moved closer, threading his fingers with mine. “I was hoping for more than nice.”
My heart raced. “And what would that be?”
“Tempting.” His hot breath blew against my cheek. “Hot.”
His lips brushed against mine and pressed in for a deeper kiss. I gripped his shirt, pulling him closed. He tasted of oregano and dill with a hint of mint. My blood raced as though it was filled with the bubbles of the sparkling wine I drank. He pulled away, letting his fingers trail from my shoulder and down my arms to linger on my fingertips.